Der Vogelhändler (The Bird Seller)

The type of music heard in the park 100 years ago by a good community band, “The Bird Seller” today is Zeller’s essential remaining work. Eiji Suzuki has further enhanced this collection with full percussion, including many mallet parts, piano and harp. This arrangement begins, and ends with marches, which Zeller was known for in his day, but are little played today. Suzuki arranged this work in three parts, which can stand alone. While the two “full stops” in the work are unusual, they are typical of the time when collections were arranged as a potpourri without elaborate bridges between sections. Arranged in largely tutti form, the woodwinds are not overly challenged, but rather it is a well-blended piece that audiences will love.